as much as it was at the beginning of the year, but the eu faces problems in 2013 as well -- a new election in italy could put silvio berlusconi back in power, and france's francois hollande has to tackle urgent issues at home, so there is plenty of work for europ's firefighters next year. >> the past year, we have often brought you images of very angry protests in greece that were mostly against the harsh austerity measures imposed by the government in return for a bailout funds from lenders. >> without this, greece would certainly have gone bankrupt, but it still a long way from clear that the bailout and the reforms they are tied to will get the economy back on the road to recovery. >> meanwhile, the suffering continues for the greek people. the situation is especially dire in rural villages. >> we are on our way to a village on the border with bulgaria. most of the village's 500 inhabitants are muslim -- a minority in the orthodox christian country. the village also claims the dubious distinction of being the poorest village in greece, with an average income of roughly 6000 euros a year